Apparatus for handling material



Aug. 1, 1933.

E. w. LARSEN APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIAL Filed March 7, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .36 47 42 50 5/ 57 55 .44 .72 27 4; 55 55 I 6.7 #1544 JJ i 35 22 4/ W W 25 &

45 n r .1 "1:12". J0 72 b 54/ J/ 68 7/ 44 45-" 4/, 4/" 5 J0/:+ 5/ 44 44 4 57 lull-'7 lNl/ENTU/P EWLA RsE/v A TTO/PNE? Patented Aug. 1, 1933 PATENT. OFFICE APPARATUS FOR HANDLING MATERIAL Einer W. .Larsen,

Chicago, Ill.,

assignor to Western ElectricCompany, Incorporated, New

' York, N. Y., a Corporation of New York Application March 7, 1930. Serial No. 433,862

- 11 Claims.

This invention relates to anapparatus for handling material and more particularly to apparatus for handling material in strand form.

An object of the invention is to provide an appara tus for handling material which will be simple in construction, efficient in operation and particularly advantageous from a safety standpoint when operating at high speeds.

One embodiment of the invention contemplates the provision in a take-up device of a reel arbor having a rotating sleeve and spaced radially projecting fingers at each end thereof. The fingers are pivoted so that they provide an equalizing self-centering suspension for the reel and are caused to extend by a conical cam which is controlled by a pneumatically operated spring controlled plunger. with springs so that the fingers may bewithdrawn when the reel is full to permit a sliding rack to eject the reel from the arbor. The invention will be more readily understood by reference to the following detailed description taken 1 in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view, partly in section, of a reel supporting arbor in one embodiment of the invention; 7

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation, partly in section, of the same apparatus;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation of the arbor and reel, partly in section;

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 44 of Fig. 3, the reel being omitted for convenience; and

3 Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar parts are indicated by identical reference numerals, a take-up mechanism, generally indicated by the numeral 10, of a wire drawing mill, is mounted upon afoundation plate 11 and the foundation plate 11 is connected to a floor 12 of the mill by suitable bolts 15-15. At the lefthand end of the foundation plate 11, as viewed in Fig. 1,

is provided a housing 18, secured to the foundation plate 11 'by a plurality of suitable bolts 19-19. The housing is provided with a central longitudinal aperture 20 in which is secured an elongated stationary sleeve 22 which projects to the left of the housing as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 3. The projecting portion of the sleeve 22 is provided with a peripheral shoulder 23 (Fig. 3)

against which are locked ball bearings 24. Separated from the ball bearings 24 by a spacing bar 26, which is keyed'to the stationary sleeve, are roller bearings 27, the spaced bearings being The fingers are interconnected locked against the shoulder 23 by any suitable locking means.

A rotatable sleeve 30 extends longitudinally through the stationary sleeve 22 and at the extreme lefthand has keyed thereto an annular supporting plate 31. 'The annular supporting plate is provided at spaced points with ears or brackets 32, 32 to each of whichis piv'otally secured by means of a pin 33 one end of a right angled finger 34. The fingers, at their exterior angle, are each provided with a roller 35 and at the opposite end with a pivoted latch member 36. Midway of the. rollers and the latch'members the fingers are provided on each side with a pin 38 in which is secured a spring 39. Three of these 7 springs are employed, each extending from the pin upon the side of one finger to a c0rresponding pin on the nearer side of the adjacent finger. It will be understood that the tendency of the springs is to maintain the fingers 34, 34 and 34 normally in a retracted position. A cap plate 41 which comprises the outer end of the arbor 16 is provided withthreespaced notches" 42, 42 which coincide with the fingers 34 and receive the latter when the fingers are in the so retracted position, and also has a central aperture 43 along which travels a cam plug 45. The latch members 36 have a shoulder 46 for engaging a head 47 of a conventional type of takeup reel 49, and, extending at right angles there- 35 to, a lip portion 50 adapted when the fingers 34 are in an expanded position to engage the under-surface of a drum 51'of the reel. A groove 53- extends transversely of the latch between the shoulder 46 and lip portion 50 in order to permit the accurate seating of the reel head 47 therein when the fingers are in the expanded position.

The inner endof the arbor consists of a plate 54 having spaced bifurcated projections 55, 55 in each of which is rotatably mounted, on apin 57, a finger 58. The fingers 58 each comprise a shoulder portion 59 and a lip portion 60 extending substantially at right angles to each other, and a transverse groove 61 extending between the shoulder and lip portions 59 and 60, respectively, to insure the accurate seating therein, upon occasion, of a reel head 62. The reel head 62 is provided with spaced notches 65, which receive the shoulders 59v of the fingers for the purpose of preventing relative rotation between the arbor and the reel. The cap plate41 and the inner plate 54 of the arbor are assembled to form a rigid structure by means of a barrel portion 63, to which the plate 54 is secured by suitable bolts 64, 64. The annular supporting plate 31 is secured to the cap plate 41 by pins 66 and the cap plate 41 is secured to the barrel portion 63 by bolts 67 which extend through the annular supporting plate 31.

The cam plug 45 is secured by means of a nut 68 on the end of a shaft 69 which extends through the rotatable sleeve 30 and is keyed thereto at 71 so as to be rotatable therewith.

The cam plug 45 is conical, being provided with a peripheral bevelled surface 72 so inclined as to render the radial dimension of the cone largest at the outer end. A portion of the rotatable sleeve 30 extends through a conventional type of solenoid-controlled brake 73, (Fig. 1) and at its extremity is journalled in a bearing 'l4 so as to permit its free rotation therein. A drum 75 is keyed to the sleeve 30 intermediate of the brake 73 and the bearing 74 and accommodates belts or ropes 76, which are connected to a suitable source of power (not shown) for the purpose of driving the sleeve 30 and associated arbor 16. A roller type of belt or rope tightener 77 (Fig. 2) is mounted on the machine and engages the ropes '76, being adjustable to increase or decrease the tension therein as desired by altering the, position of a segmental rack 78 wth respect to any suitable set screw 14. The shaft69 extends beyond the rotatable sleeve 30 to a clutch casing 79 (Fig. 1) where conventional means (not shown) is provided for connecting the shaft 69.to a piston rod 80. A cylinder 81, mounted upon a pedestal 82 secured to the floor of the apparatus, receives the piston rod, upon the inner end of which is secured a piston 83. A relatively strong compression spring 85 surrounds the piston rod and is engaged between the piston and a front wall 86 of the cylinder, exerting a constant pressure tomaintain the piston adjacent to a rear wall 87 of the cylinder. A conduit 89, provided -with a suitable cut-01f valve 90 affords access, from any suitable source of supply (not shown) of water, air or. other fluid under pressure, to the cylinder between the piston and the rear wall thereof.

It will be understood that although the spring is normally operative to maintain thepiston in the rear of the cylinder, the fluid pressure supplied from the conduit is sumcient to overcome the effect ofthe spring and force the piston 83 I to the front end of the cylinder. When this is done the shaft 69 is thrust by the piston rod to the left through the sleeve 30 a sufiicient distance to move the cam plug 45 from the position shown in Fig.3 to an inoperative position wherein the base of the conical plug rests flush with the outer surface of the plate 41. As the outward ,movement of the plug progresses, the fingers 34 are caused to rotate about the pivots 33 toward the axis of the arbor by the springs 39, 39, thus causing the rollers 35 to traverse thebevelled surface 72 of the conical plug. Such rotation of the fingers 34.,causes the latch members 36 to rotate in a clockwise direction with reference'to the fingers 34 and be thereby withdrawn from the head 47. When theconical plug has attained the full extent of its outward movement, the

cam rollers 35 will come to rest at the apex of the cone, the fingers 34 having. been retracted into the notches 42 of the plate 41. In such position, no portion of the latches 36 project into the path of the reel and the latter may then be ejected from the arbor.

This is accomplished by means of a mechanism shown in Fig. 2 comprising an air or other motor i 91 mounted in a framework 92 secured to the housing 18 and having any approved means not shown of power supply and control. A driving shaft 93 of the air motor extends downwardly and at its lower extremity, a gear 94 is keyed thereto. The gear 94 meshes with a pinion 96 keyed to a vertical shaft 97 which is rotatably mounted in the floor of the machine. A channel 98, extending longitudinally of the housing, is formed in the bed plate of the machine and is provided with an ejector bar 99 which is slidable therein. Upon the left side of the ejector bar as viewed in Fig. 2 it is provided with a toothed rack portion 101 which meshes with the pinion 96. When the cam plug 45 has been moved outwardly to cause the retraction of the fingers .34, the ,air motor 91 is started to rotate the gear 94 and the pinion 96 thus moving the ejector bar 99 forward. In so doing, the bar engages the reel head 62 and thrusts it to the left, out of engagement with the fingers 58 and moves thereel. drum 51 over the fingers 36. When the ejector bar 99 has reached the limit of its outward movement, the reel has been thrust a suitable distance from the arbor to permit its being grasped by an operator and entirely removed from the arbor to a place of storage or. for further treatment of the wire. The air 'motor is then reversed, rotating the gear 94 to move the ejector bar back to inoperative position, whereupon an empty reel may be fitted to the arbor.

This is accomplished by passing the reel over the arbor until the inner head 62 of the reel engages the shoulders 59 of the fingers 58, whereupon the reel is so adjusted that the shoulders 59 are engaged inthe notches 65 in the reel head. The cut-off valve 90 is then operated to reduce the air pressure in the cylinder 81 and the spring 85 becomesoperative to move the piston toward the rear wall of the cylinder. This causes the shaft 69 to be drawn to the right and the cam plug 45 to be moved inwardly with respect to'the aperture 43. The bevelled surface 72 of the plug engagesthe cam rollers 35 and moves them radially from the axis of the arbor to expanded position. The lips 50 of the latches 36 are thus moved to close' engagement with the undersurface of the reel head by the rotation of the fingers 34 about the pivots 33 and the shoulders 46 engage the\head 47 of the reel, thus pretherto by the engagement of the shoulders 59 at the notches 65 and against all possibility of accidental longitudinal displacement by force of the spring 85. It will thus be. seen that so long as the compression spring of the cylinder is operative, the cam rollers 35will be engaged by the base of the conical plug and the fingers 34 held in their expanded positions, thus providing an equalizing self-centering three point suspension at each end of the reel.

Although the embodiment shown in particularly adapted for accommodating sturdy reels which take up heavy loads of wire under high tension being drawn at high speeds, it is obviously, capable of application in environments where less severe conditions exist; but where .as high a safety factor in operation is desired.

limited except by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a reeling device, an arbor for carrying the reel, spaced pivoted fingers on the' arbor movable to engage the reel at a plurality of spaced points to lock the reel on the arbor, cam means for actuating the fingers and pneumatic means for rendering the cam means inoperative to permit removal of the reel.

2. In a reeling device, an arbor for carrying the reel, spaced pivoted fingers on the arbor movable to engage the reel to lock same on the arbor, a movable cam engaging the fingers, spring means for moving the cam to engaging posiiton, and pneumatic means for overcoming the spring means to permit the fingers to release the reel.

3. In a reeling device, an arbor for carrying the reel, means for locking the reel on the arbor, pneumatic means for rendering the lockingrmeans inoperative to permit release of the reel and a rack slidable with respect to the arbor for ejecting the reel therefrom.

4. In a reeling device, an arbor for carrying the reel, spring actuated cam means for locking the reel on the arbor, pneumatic means for rendering the cam means inoperative, a gear and a rack actuated thereby for ejecting the reel from the arbor.

5. In a reeling device, an arbor for carrying the reel, spaced pivoted fingers on the arbor movable to engage the reel at a plurality of spaced points to lock the reel on the arbor, a movable cam engaging the fingers, spring means for moving the cam to cause the fingers to engage the reel, pneumatic means for overcoming the spring means to permit the fingers to release a the reel, a gear and a rack actuated thereby and slidable with respect to the arbor for ejecting the reel therefrom.

6. In a reeling device, a housing, a stationary sleeve mounted therein, a rotatable sleeve extending through the stationary sleeve, an arbor supported upon the stationary sleeve and rotatable with the rotatable sleeve, a slidable shaft extending axially of the arbor and the rotatable sleeve, means for engaging a reel on the arbor and means for sliding the shaft to lock the reel engaging means in position.

'7. In a reeling device, an arbor for supporting a reel, means for locking the reel in position on the arbor, including a plurality of freely movable pivoted elements supported near one end of the arbor and engaging a surface of the supported reel, a plurality of bell-crank levers pivotally supported at the opposite end of the arbor, and a freely movable element carried by an arm of each of the bell-crank levers capable of free adjustment to variations in dimensions of the reel and engaging the supported reel for holding it in a predetermined position.

8. In a reeling device, an arbor for carrying the reel, spaced pivoted fingers on the arbor movable to engage the reel to lock same on the arbor, resilient means for urging the fingers to inoperative position, cam means for moving the fingers against the resilient means to operative position in engagement with the reel, and resilient means for actuating the cam means to move the fingers into said operative position.

9. In apparatus of the character described the combination of a rotatable spool carrier, means on said carrier for engagement with one end of a spool, means on said carrier movable relative to the first mentioned means for engaging said spool at its other end, fluid actuated means for moving the second mentioned means in one direction relative to the first mentioned means, and spring means for moving said second mentioned means in another direction relative to the first mentioned means.

10. In apparatus of the character described the combination of a rotatable spool carrier having a central axially extending passage, abut ment means on said carrier for engagement with a spool at opposite ends thereof, one of said abutment means being movable relative to the carrier, an operating member extending through said passage for actuating said movable abutment means, spring means for moving said actuating member in one direction, and fluid pressure responsive means for moving said actuating member in the opposite direction.

11. In apparatus of the character described the combination of a support, a hollow spindle EINER W. LARSEN. 

